Need help deciding..RX100 or new release??

I've got a dilemma that I haven't been able to get help with anywhere else..well research wise on my own..

Please bear with me as I explain.

I'd been looking for an upgrade to my compact Canon S95 for a while and had considered the four thirds models. In the end I decided the aim was to keep size but improve performance without having to carry lenses. I already have a DSLR for that.

So I finally found the Sony RX100 and to my delight I found it on special! Even better I was able to get the tax free option as I'll be travelling in a few months. But in order to claim that I can't pick up my camera for a month

OK my dilemma: I had a suspicion (and reading your forum today I now know I was right) that a new release was due. I just didn't know WHEN.

As I haven't picked up my camera I can still go back and change my mind and wait for the new release. But I have a trip to France in September.

So my question to all of you is: Do you think the new release is worth waiting for or am I best off with the current model?

I'm not going to be greedy and wait to see the price go down more as I might miss out!! So I have to make a decision and stick to it.

If it makes a difference (different release dates?) I live in Australia.

to me, the only real "improvement" to the new model that would persuade me would be the tilty screen. It would depend on how much you use that function and/or how much you saved by buying the current model. Also, I'm not sure if the new one will be out by then....I haven't seen any dates. Actually, it hasn't even been announced yet....just some leaks and rumors. My suggestion would be keep the one you have (or are getting) and use it for a couple years and don't even look at the other one....you won't even know what you're missing.

To me the real improvement is the new sensor. Since I'm a no flash low light shooter, that alone is worth the price of admission. My gut says that the RX100 will settle in at the $400 range and the RX100M2 will sell at the $649 price point. To get the new sensor and the tilt screen, that would be worth the extra $250.

It's been known for a while that Sony was releasing a new RX100. June 27th has been the announcement date.

To the OP: You wrote that you'll be travelling in a few months. That sounds like you'll have time to wait for the Sony announcement about the new RX100 at the end of June. Then you'll be able to determine if you really need or want the very latest and greatest. Now, whether the new RX100 will be available for you to purchase before you leave on your trip is another question. But product announcements usually indicate when the item will be available. If you love the new camera, you might be able to place a pre-order in the hope of being one of the first to get the latest RX100. If not, then I predict prices on the existing RX100 will fall after June 27th.

To me the real improvement is the new sensor. Since I'm a no flash low light shooter, that alone is worth the price of admission. My gut says that the RX100 will settle in at the $400 range and the RX100M2 will sell at the $649 price point. To get the new sensor and the tilt screen, that would be worth the extra $250.

It's been known for a while that Sony was releasing a new RX100. June 27th has been the announcement date.

Well, the sensor is an Exmor R sensor instead of an Exmor sensor - that should tell you all you need to know, no? I read in another SC topic about this camera that it's a backlit CMOS sensor, with claims of a large improvement in sensitivity. Whether that's true, and if so, if the improvements are just due to the backlit part of it I don't know (the way I understand it, the advantage of backside illumination decreases with larger sensor sizes).

To the OP, what kinda shooting do you do? Tilt screen is great for shooting from unusual angles or street shooting. I find my Fuji X100 a wonderful camera but I do notice that my Samsung EX1 (which has a rotating screen) stimulates images from high up or low to the ground, which definitely adds interest and variety to your images. More sensitive sensor, if true... I think for most purposes the existing RX100 is already enough to produce very decent images in almost any situation. If high ISO performance is significantly increased, that might allow you to do street shooting in darker circumstances and still keep a fast shutter speed (or keep a fast shutter speed in darkly lit rooms for social shooting etc).

Well, the sensor is an Exmor R sensor instead of an Exmor sensor - that should tell you all you need to know, no? I read in another SC topic about this camera that it's a backlit CMOS sensor, with claims of a large improvement in sensitivity. Whether that's true, and if so, if the improvements are just due to the backlit part of it I don't know (the way I understand it, the advantage of backside illumination decreases with larger sensor sizes).

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Here's a Sony webpage talking about Exmor R. They do claim twice the sensitivity but that is for small sensors.

'"Exmor R" is approximately twice as sensitive (*1) as a conventional front-illuminated CMOS sensor and also features low noise.'

The benefit does lessen as the sensor size goes up. The reason is how it works. The problem it solves is that the circuitry, wiring and such, block some of the light in a normal CMOS sensor. A BSI sensor deals with that issue. In essence, what they do is turn the sensor around so the back is now the front. On a smaller sensor the wiring is a larger percentage of a photosite. As the photosite gets bigger, the shade from the wiring is less and less. Sony also has Exmor RS which is a stacked BSI sensor. It has about 30% more sensitivity than Exmor R.

Many thanks to all of you for the info and advice! Even if some of it is over my head

I'm very much a hobbyist who loves to take photos of my travels and the world around me. Anything from scenery to zoos to pets and the odd macro. Yes occasionally people too.

Anyway I think that given the time frames involved I am going to keep the RX100 when I get it...not sure am going to haggle price a bit more...can't complain the $458 (after I get my tax back) is sweet indeed.

From what all of you have said I will be very happy with the camera and will enjoy getting to know it before my trip. And I will need time for that!

You'll love the RX100. I would definitely get something to improve the grip. Otherwise, it's a slippery little thing. I use a leather skin now. Before I used a piece of electrical tape.

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Thank you for the tip. I'll have to go into a shop and get the feel of one again. The Canon S95 doesn't have great grip either and I've done well with that one.
Am curious about the leather skin you mention. Is that like the leather cover Sony sell for it? Or is it more like a phone cover?
Thanks

Thank you for the tip. I'll have to go into a shop and get the feel of one again. The Canon S95 doesn't have great grip either and I've done well with that one.
Am curious about the leather skin you mention. Is that like the leather cover Sony sell for it? Or is it more like a phone cover?
Thanks

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I have this one. It looks great and even like it was meant to come this way from the factory.

Deciding on buying the RX100 or waiting for some more. Leaving for a trip in Asia on the 4th of July. Do you think prices will drop fast after or on the 27th? Doubting if it's worth to wait a few days.

I tend to get photos I'm happier with when using a camera that I'm familiar with. When I can pick it up and change settings without thinking or searching through menus. Where I understand it's limitation, strengths and weakness. That familiarity is to me worth more than a couple of advantages on a camera I'm not used to using. If it were me, I'd buy now and expect it to be a good friend by September rather than a stranger. You'll find plenty if France to spend the money saved on! Have a good trip.

Deciding on buying the RX100 or waiting for some more. Leaving for a trip in Asia on the 4th of July. Do you think prices will drop fast after or on the 27th? Doubting if it's worth to wait a few days.

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Hello,
I understand the dilemma! Thankfully I have more time to hear the announcement and see price differences though am leaning toward keeping the RX100.
If prices do drop may take a while for retailers to pass it on I think. But then I'm not "in the know" of these things.
Chao